Local Ethiopians organizing vigil

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This article was published 10/03/2019 (2118 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of Winnipeg’s local Ethiopian community are organizing a memorial for victims of the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines jet.

Ali Saeed, co-founder of the Ethiopian Society of Winnipeg, said they were originally going to hold the memorial on Sunday afternoon at the organization’s building on Selkirk Avenue, but then decided to wait a few days.

“It is a very small area,” Saeed said.

“We will need to do it at a church next week or a larger place. Many people will want to come.”

But Saeed said the local Ethiopian community — which numbers about 6,000 in Winnipeg — was in mourning over the loss of all 157 people on the plane, including 18 Canadians.

“We don’t know the people who lost their lives, but the 18 Canadians, we are Canadians and we consider them our blood,” he said.

“It is a very sad day for all of us today.”